


Tattoo

by kansouame



Category: Naruto
Genre: Death, M/M, Not Character Death, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-27
Updated: 2012-08-27
Packaged: 2017-11-12 23:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/496978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kansouame/pseuds/kansouame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>War has taken many and there are many ways to remember loved ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tattoo

**Author's Note:**

> (drabble for the Chuunin challenge at KakaIru_fest on LJ)

The crisp early morning breeze ruffled Kakashi’s hair while he stood quietly in front of the memorial stone, lost in his memories. These past few weeks had been filled with memorials, sometimes for entire families. The last war had taken many of his friends and colleagues. So many.  
_____________

“Kakashi! Over here!” Iruka waved him over to where several teams were searching the rubble of an entire housing block for survivors. “Glad to see you’re back home. How did the mission go?”

Kakashi landed lightly beside Iruka, who graced him with a small smile, but before he could answer, a couple of medi-nins jostled past with a stretcher. Iruka let out a small pained noise and then moved forward to place a hand on the medi-nin’s shoulder to stop him.

“Wait,” Iruka said softly. He reached out and took the hand of the deceased, held it for a moment and then placed it reverently back on the man’s chest.

“Did you know him?” Kakashi’s voice sounded loud even to himself.

Iruka nodded. “It’s Kiyomi-chan’s father. She was one of my first students. She died in the battle with Orochimaru.”

Iruka pointed to the brightly colored lotus tattooed over the man’s heart. “See this? He told me once that he had this done so that when he looked at it, he would always remember his beautiful little girl.”

“He must have a lot of people to remember, he's covered in tattoos.” Kakashi looked over the intricate artwork that laced up and down the dead man’s shoulders and chest; they looked to continue on his back.

Iruka stepped back, letting the medi-nins continue with their work. “Yes, he said that we sometimes need something to remind us of who we are and why we fight.” Iruka slipped his hand into Kakashi’s and gave it a squeeze. “And to remind us to never forget.”  
__________________

Kakashi stripped off his glove before reaching out to trace his fingers tips carefully across the names of his friends.

“I will never forget," he whispered. “But …”

He let his eyes linger on the small blue mark of ink, in the shape of a leaping dolphin that was tattooed on his hand. “Sometimes we need something to remind us why we have to come home."


End file.
